Fox news: US military central leadership starts moving to Qatar
Qatar-USA, Politics, 9/12/2002

Fox News network said on Tuesday that the central leadership of the US army will start transferring operation to Qatar from Florida next Friday, a matter which raised possibilities of a military build up in preparation for a likely attack against Iraq.

Both the Pentagon and the central leadership refused to comment on the report.

A spokesman for the central leadership in Tampa, Florida said "we do not comment on future operations."

Meantime, news reports quoted American officials responsible for the military operations in the Arab Gulf saying that the central leadership is transporting part of its troops to Qatar but this doers not mean that the leader of the central leadership which leads the war if Afghanistan Gen. Tommy Francs will move there." Washington started expansion of al-Aided air base, which is situated 45 Km to the west of Doha, three years before, however work pace accelerated in November when Saudi Arabia refused to permit the American forces and planes heading for Afghanistan to use Prince Sultan air base. The US then moved to develop al-Aided base in Qatar with advanced equipment, and longer runways for planes landing and taking off in the Middle East of 4500 meters length. Al-Aided can accommodate 120 jet fighters.

Previous Stories:
  Qatar's FM talks in Baghdad   (8/28/2002)
  Al-Jazeera: Qatar denies permitting US attacks against Iraq   (8/27/2002)
  New runways in al-Adeed Qatari base in preparations to attack Iraq   (8/10/2002)
  Two American secret military bases in Qatar   (7/1/2002)

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